The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Kaduna State chapter, has expressed dismay over the October 19 council elections, describing it as electoral robbery against the people of the state.
The state chairman of CAN, Rev. Caleb Ma’aji, explained that the local government election was seen by the citizens of the state as an opportunity to exercise their franchise of electing candidates of their choice at the grassroots, lamenting that they were later denied the chance when they spent the whole day waiting for the materials but were disgraced without casting their votes.
According to him, “Reports from our officials from the various local government areas in the state indicated that people waited for the necessary materials to cast their votes but all in vain after spending the whole day waiting for KADSIECOM officials, only for the same commission to announce the winners of chairmen and councillors in the 23 council areas in the state.
“The chairperson of the commission, Hajia Hajara Mohammed, only announced the winners of the elections without the number of votes won by the candidates as well as those of other candidates from other political parties that participated in the elections.”
He explained that while the people of Kaduna State have started settling down with the conviction that Governor Uba Sani is, to some extent, carrying the people along in his governance, the manner in which the council polls were conducted and announced leaves much to be desired by all.
CAN, according to him, called on the state governor and the State Independent Electoral Commission to rise to the occasion to ensure that the right thing is done by ensuring that the votes of all eligible voters are thoroughly counted and winners are announced irrespective of their political parties.
According to Ma’aji, “The international best practice and the rule of law of the democratic processes should not only be seen to be upheld but be seen to be done in a modern society like ours where citizens deserve their rights to be protected and seen to be done for the overall peaceful coexistence and development of the state.
“We call on Christian faithful to remain calm as we believe that the right thing will be done to address the abnormality.”
He also called on Governor Uba Sani, who has promised to be fair, equitable, and just to all the citizenry, never to allow anybody to smear his name and the hard-earned reputation he has earned, saying that the avoidable challenges should be addressed and the right thing be done for the unity, peace, and progress of the people of the state.